


We're So Young (we're so... freaky?)

by jisngsbf (darthkouhai)



Category: NCT (Band)
Genre: Alternate Universe - Bands, Dorks in Love, Fluff and Humor, M/M, Mutual Pining, dont let the punk aesthetics fool you this fic is Soft, grunge-punk band au, mark is a Mess but he's Super Gay for donghyuck, please save mark he just wants to woo hyuck, teen shenanigans, the punk band markhyuck au nobody asked for
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2018-03-10
Updated: 2018-04-16
Packaged: 2019-03-29 06:46:26
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 2
Words: 3,843
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/13921599
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/darthkouhai/pseuds/jisngsbf
Summary: After being dragged out by Renjun to go watch his boyfriends' band perform, Mark can't help but fall for with the exuberant, fiery lead singer of "DREAM".And maybe, just maybe, he falls in love with Mark too.[wherein DREAM is a 4 member band and Mark just so happens to fall completely in love with their lead singer]





	1. The Rumor Come Out: Does Mark Lee Is Bi?

**Author's Note:**

> find me @royalhyuck on tumblr if you like stray kids or the dreamies!!! i have like one haechan stan friend and no skids friends bc im dumb and shy so blease, feel free 2 hit me up, i'm gay and i love haechan and han jisung. also this fic is just highkey me projecting by big gay cr*sh on haechan onto mark
> 
> Basically, DREAM is a band consisting of; haechan, jaemin, jeno, and jisung. here yall, have some character outlines;  
>  **Haechan** : lead vocalist, plays guitar (and sometimes synth/keys), he edgy and cheeky and is a Raging Gay, but secretly a bashful babie who just wants to kiss a cute boy (mark). 18  
>  **Mark** : a stressed college kid who stresses out abt everything and just wants a boyfie to cuddle, can’t handle cute boys with grunge aesthetics, chaotic bisexual. 19  
>  **Jeno** : bassist, a big beefy bi who’s dating renmin, thinks he’s cooler than he is, loves pda, pretends he doesnt super love with his friends cling onto him (he loves it). 18  
>  **Jisung** : drummer, totally doesn’t have a crush on chenle (he does), pretends 2 be a cool badass, doesn’t succeed, baby gay #1. 16/17  
>  **Jaemin** : lead guitarist, vocals, is smooth and suave and a big savage, dating noren, gets shy when either of them cal him cute, a lorge ace whos just super goddamn gay for his boyfies. 18  
>  **Renjun** : the True calm cool and cute of the bunch, a whole Lawful Neutral Demisexual™️, highkey loves it whenever his boyfriends dote on him and calm him cute, sly and just wants mark to achieve his big gay dreams. 18  
>  **Chenle** : renjuns cousin, lowkey finds jisung cute but is shy™️, lowkey impressed and thinks jisung is super cool even tho he’s rlly a dork, super done dealing with his gay ass friends n just wants to hold jisungs big dumb hands, baby gay #2. 17
> 
> (Edit: I’m gonna scream my eyes have been opened, I tweaked mark n hyuck a lil bit,,, there’s no way hyuck isn’t in every way a Gay, girls who?? He doesn’t know them)

“Come on Mark-hyung, hurry up,” Renjun sighs softly from the other side of the door,  lightly kicking the wood with his foot, “Chenle’s waiting in the car and I don’t trust him not to accidentally break something.”

Mark squeaks, head flying between his reflection in the mirror and his bedroom door, hands smoothing out his rumpled hoodie nervously. Renjun’s taking him out to _finally_ meet his boyfriends (and see their _band perform_ , nonetheless), but he’s never been to… _a club? Was it a club? A venue??_ Mark isn’t quite sure, but he knows is that it’s only a _16+_ show and that this is kind of a big deal. What is he supposed to wear? Is there a dress code? Is his boring jeans plus hoodie combo too simple?

… He’s not ready, he’s definitely not ready. Renjun _told_ him this would be fine to wear but... “but are you sure-”

“Mark Lee, you look _fine_ ,” he interrupts Mark with a stern mutter, “so stop stressing and get your ass out here before I have to drag you out!” A pause, before, in a softer, more Renjun-like voice, “there’s nothing to worry about, hyung!”

Mark whines childishly, hands reaching for his wallet and his keys even though his brain is telling him to just go curl up in bed before he can embarrass himself and everyone around him. He wrenches open the door, still whining,  meeting Renjun’s amused stare with a sheepish smile, “Okay. Let’s…. Get this over with.”

The Chinese boy rolls his eyes with a giggle, throwing his arm around Mark’s shoulders and dragging him towards the door. “You’re going to have a good time, trust me. When have I ever steered you wrong.”

Mark shoots a suspicious look at Renjun’s “angelic” smile; he might have looked like the perfect, sunshine, cinnamon apple boy, but Mark knows… he knows the truth. “Yeah… _Right_ ,” he mutters suspiciously, locking the dorm door before letting Renjun pull him down and out of the building.

Mark lets out a snort when he sees Chenle’s face pressed against the passenger-side window of Renjun’s car, watching him breathe out against the glass and writing in the condensation _and_ most likely leaving smudges on the glass again. _Renjunnie’s not gonna like that,_ he snickers, and he’s right, because as soon as his roommate catches sight of Chenle, his expression drops.

“Yah! Zhong Chenle,” Renjun squeaks, yanking open the passenger side door and making Chenle stumble sideways, “I just got your fingerprints off my windows this morning, _stop_ doing that!”

Chenle giggles, ignoring Renjun in favour of grinning over at Mark, “hey, hyung, took you long enough! I was starting to think you’d backed out.”

“I didn’t take _that_ long,” Mark huffs bashfully, sliding into the front seat once Chenle manages to drag himself over the center console and into the back, “besides… Renjunnie takes longer to get ready than me.”

There’s a huff of laughter from the backseat as Renjun slides into the driver’s seat. “Hey, it takes time to look this good,” he sends Mark a wink, and after a moment of silence, the three of them start laughing.]

(They all know Renjun takes so long because he gets too caught up exchanging, what the kids call, “spicy memes”, or whatever, with his boyfriends. Mark blames Chenle for this.)

 

The ride to the venue is filled with conversation, Renjun, of course, goes _on and on_ about his “hot bassist boyfriend Jeno” and his “hot guitarist boyfriend Jaemin” - honestly, Mark hasn’t met either of them yet, but he feels like he knows more about them than he does about himself. Renjun briefly talks about the two other members, and Mark raises his eyebrow when Chenle’s cheeks redden at the mention of the “cute drummer”.

Even still, as they pull up to the venue, the only thing Mark knows for sure about _DREAM_ , is the name of the members (they’re Jeno, Jaemin, Jisung, and Haechan, fun fact) and that they have “super cool songs!!!”... Which is, fine, but Mark still doesn’t know what to expect.

Chenle leans his chin against the back of Mark’s seat, peering over at him, “You ready?”

Mark glowers at the intimidating looking sight in front of them, feeling his stomach churn. The venue is situated in the dip between two buildings, shadowed and looking _more_ than a little bit suspicious even as the bright neon of the venue sign illuminates the cornered area with vibrant purples and blues. There are people dressed in dark, ripped clothes and leather jackets loitering outside and while Mark really doesn’t like to judge, it’s a bit….. intimidating, to say the least.

(He kind of gets the feeling that one wrong look towards the wrong person is gonna land him in some trouble and Mark Lee is _not_ about That Life.)

“Come on, hyung,” Renjun says, patting Mark on the hand gently, “it’s not as bad as it looks. I’ve been here plenty of times, _completely_ safe, nothing to worry about. They might look scary but honestly, most of them are harmless. If _Chenle_ can handle this, so can you.”

Mark gives Renjun a look that he hopes conveys all of the regret he feels. He could have been at home, safely wrapped up in bed and _sleeping_ , but no, here he is, in Renjun’s car, waiting to step into certain death (okay, so he might be exaggerating a _little bit,_ but come on). Renjun’s lips pull up into a smile and Mark feels his resolve break.

“Okay, fine. Let’s go,” he agrees with deflating enthusiasm, grimacing when Chenle lets out a loud “ _whoop!_ ” right beside his ear. The things he does for his best friend.

 

The inside of the venue is bustling with activity, loud and _alive_ ; it’s crowded with people who look both younger and older than them, moving and dancing and vibing along with the music of band currently on stage. The heavy-set sound bouncing off the walls and the deep, vibrant flashing of lights leaves Mark’s blood pumping through his veins. It’s intense, and he instinctively steps closer to Renjun and Chenle, not straying too far as they weave through the crowd.

“ _DREAM_ is on next, we got here just in time,” Renjun tells him over the thrum of music, after the three of them manage to reach the bar. Mark hesitantly drops himself onto one of the stools, staring at the stage as the band starts to pack up. Being squished between Chenle and Renjun is comforting, but his foot still taps nervously against the floor.

Beside him, Mark can hear Renjun speaking with someone behind the bar (a pretty… _really_ pretty man with a sharp jaw and shockingly red hair), but he busies himself with looking around, distracted. The walls, dark red brick, are covered in tons of ripped or faded posters of bands, with strung, coloured lights hanging along the cracks of the brick. The stage isn’t large, but it isn’t small either; it’s illuminated by tinted vipers and darkened house lights, leaving an impression much like an edgy photo-filter (though, he guesses it fits).

Mark perks up as as two people step onto the empty stage a few moments later, parks of a drum set nestled in their arms. He watches as they weave on and off the stage, bringing equipment out from backstage. One of them is tall and wiry, long legs and thin arms and fluffy blond hair, wearing ripped black jeans and a red-grey graphic t-shirt, sleeves rolled up and tucked in at the waist. The other is slightly shorter, broad shouldered and strong-jawed, his black hair pushed back away from his face and wearing an outfit similar to the blond, except instead of a tee he’s wearing a loose, black tank top, and a thin choker.

The black haired one looks up when they’re done setting up, shooting a bright smile at Mark’s general direction - beside him, Renjun leans in, “That’s Jeno, and the blond is Jisung, if you’re wondering.”

Tilting his head, Mark watches the two of them disappear backstage again. Jeno is… both nothing like and exactly like what Mark thought he looked like. Renjun’s always had a type and Jeno… is just that. From the corner of his eye, Mark catches Chenle staring holes into the back of the blond, Jisung’s, head as he steps back into view.

“You okay there, Lele,” he asks with a half-quirked smirk, and tries not to laugh when Chenle jumps in surprise (but fails, and earns a harsh slap on the arm, which, _ow_ ).

“He’s fine, he’s just got a big gay crush on Jisu- _hey!_ ”

Chenle reaches over him to smack Renjun, face flushed, and Mark feels slightly better about his own embarrassment earlier, “Shut _up!_ I do not!”

“Mhm, whatever you say-” Renjun and Mark share a laugh as Chenle whines, pushing against the both of them in retaliation. _Payback_ , Mark snorts, pushing back and letting Renjun drape himself over his shoulders. “You’re going to have to accept it one day- _oh!_ ”

 

Renjun cuts himself off as the lights change, and dim, and the coloured vipers brighten up the stage once more. The three of them turn to the front of the venue, watching as _DREAM_ starts to step out. Jeno steps out first, shooting the crowd a charming grin as he adjusts the dark-red bass strapped over his shoulder - then follows Jisung, situating himself behind the drums, and a tall brunet wearing a black and red baseball shirt and oh, what a surprise, ripped jeans (he also sends a wink over the crowd towards them as he straps a black guitar around himself, so Mark is going to take a wild guess and say that’s Jaemin). And last, steps out a smaller boy with long legs and wild orange hair and-

Mark almost chokes on his own heart as he looks over the boy, moving to stand behind the keyboard, clad in a loose black tank top and a choker, much like Jeno, and _really_ ripped jeans. They’re all wearing smokey eye makeup, yeah, but there’s something about the way the black around his eyes looks with his soft coloured hair, that was tousled and hanging loosely over his eyes, that just… leaves Mark’s gay ass quaking in his old, grey converse.

“ _That’s_ Haechan,” Renjun pipes up from beside him, sending Mark a knowing smirk, “and I’d close your mouth if I were you, it’s not very flattering.”

Mark’s face flushes brighter than a tomato. He can't seem to take his eyes off of Haechan as he taps the mic twice, sending a _really_ cute smirk to the crowd. Mark kind of wants to curl up and die because he can _hear_ his two friends snickering at him and his not-so-subtle heart-eyes - but then he catches Jeno nod towards them and suddenly _Haechan_ winks, and Mark’s heart almost leaps out of his chest. 

 _Oh my god_ , he wheezes, averting his eyes, _he's hot_.


	2. "you didn't hear it from me but donghyuck... he's kinda hot" - Mark Lee, 2018

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> mark is one big, disaster bisexual. someone please save him. he sees a cute boy, he malfunctions (what a mood). not gonna mark's reaction is lowkey based on my own because once when i was in 11th grade i saw a guy so beautiful i right about fainted on the spot (what can i say, im a sucker for pretty boys)
> 
> and yall know who else is a sucker for pretty boys? mark. yall know who's a pretty boy? donghyuck. connect the dots uwu, its gonna get gay
> 
> also this chapter is shit oh boy, the second half of this chapter is literally just mark having a CrisisTM over hyuck, this fic is slowly getting more meta and more shitty i apologise anyway find me @starhyuck on tumblr!!!! 
> 
> (if you haven't already, i changed a few things in the character descriptions bc my eyes were opened to Chaotic Gay Hyuck and Disaster Bi Mark)

_DREAM_ had started out with a few covers of songs Mark vaguely recognised (he’s _pretty_ sure there was a _Day6_ song in there, but uh, don’t take his word for it), before moving on to their own music - which, as Renjun had told him earlier, was really _good_ . Mark’s never actually seen a band live before, but if they’re anything like _DREAM_ was, then… wow. Most of their songs were a mix of hard, powerful rhythms that bled into slower melodies, before picking back up again; Mark found the passion behind everything almost overwhelming, but like, in a good way?

Watching the way the four of them move on stage, completely losing themselves in the vibe of the crowd and the energy of their own music, was _thrilling_. His heart pounded along with the beat of Jisung’s drum, blood pumping through his veins with the rhythm of the guitar. Haechan’s voice was sharp and clear and it mixed so well with the heavy instrumentals, overpowering them in all the right places. It was intense and loud and by the time their set was over, Mark’s ears were ringing, but his nerves were set alight with adrenaline.

(Unrelated but still related, Mark didn’t expect Haechan to switch instruments in the middle of their set but he _did_ , and Mark just about choked when he picked up a sleek, black and red guitar. Don’t @ him on this but… the way the coloured lights stained him a soft mesh of purple-red and how he’d closed his eyes with a grin and let his ring-clad fingers fly over the strings of his guitar as he belted along to the lyrics of the music was… really nice. Haechan _in general_ just looked really… nice holding his guitar and Mark was struck by the sudden, embarrassing urge to profess his love to a _stranger_ … who just so happens to be the frontman of his best friend’s boyfriends’ band… _and_ who also just so happens to be one of the prettiest boys Mark’s ever seen. This fact _definitely was not_ a factor in his racing heart, nope not at all.)

 

Truth be told, Mark’s _still_ a little bit (read: _a lot_ ) in awe even after _DREAM_ finishes their set and disappears backstage yet again. He’s almost completely sure Renjun and Chenle are going to make fun of him for the no-doubt stupid look on his face right now, but he can’t help it, _okay_ , he _can’t_. He’s literally, as Chenle says, “shook to the core”.

Renjun looks over at him with a small smirk, laughing under his breath before asking over the thrum of the crowd, “So… what’d you think?”

“It was…” Mark squints at him, trying to come up with something to say that doesn’t make him sound like he has two brain cells but he literally can’t, and the only thing that drops out of his mouth is, “cool.”

Chenle snorts, a high-pitched squeak of a noise, and Mark glares. “That’s really all you have to say even after giving Haechan-hyung heart eyes the whole time he was on stage? _cool?_ ” Chenle mocks his tone, pursing his lips in a teasing way as he does.

“Oh, shut up,” Mark stutters, cheeks flushing, “at least _I_ wasn’t the one who looked about ready to start drooling every time little drummer boy looked up!”

Chenle gasps, scandalised, “His name is _Jisung_ , and I’ll have you know I wasn’t-”

“Boys, boys,” Renjun interrupts their squabble with a fond sigh, sliding in between the two of them and wrapping his arms around their shoulders, “Mark-hyung, are you really going to stoop low enough to argue with this 12 year old?”

“I’m sixteen!”

Ignoring him, Renjun smooshes them both close, “Let’s just settle this and say you’ve _both_ got big gay crushes, okay?”

Mark’s face lights up, he does _not_ have a crush thank you very much, he doesn’t even _know_ the guy. Just because he _might_ find this Haechan kid _kind of_ pretty (and… completely his type) doesn’t mean he has a crush, goddammit! This is literally the first time he’s ever seen Haechan anyway, and that’s _not_ enough time to have a crush, when will Renjun get that through his head already?

“It’s an appreciation, that’s it” is all he can say in response (even though even _he_ can hear how bullshit that excuse is) before Renjun is going _yeah, yeah,_  under his breath and wrapping his hands around Mark and Chenle’s wrists.

“Come on, let’s go meet the boys.”

As Renjun drags them through the crowd, Mark feels his heart drop out through his ass. _Uh oh_ . Somehow it slipped his mind that “meeting the boyfriends” actually meant _meeting the boyfriends -_ and by extension, that means _meeting the band_ (meeting… _Haechan_ ).

Yeah, okay, to say Mark isn’t ready would be an understatement. In no universe would Mark _ever_ be ready to meet this ginger bombshell of a frontman. No way, no how… okay so _maybe_ his “appreciation” might kind of maybe possibly more than just that.

(Not like he’s _ever_ going to admit that to Renjun. Or Chenle. Or _anyone_ for that matter. Nobody needs to know how much of a sucker he is for pretty boys. Especially not Renjun or Chenle - they’d _never_ let him live that down.)

God, his brain is just one big, contradicting mess of gay right now, _Lord help me,_  he prays as the backstage doors creep closer and closer and the noise of the venue starts to die down. Mark’s heart was starting to race and his palms were _sweaty_ (thank god Renjun didn’t grab his hand). Mark hasn’t been this nervous since he tried to kiss his girlfriend in tenth grade (only, Mark _hopes_ to every deity that exists that he doesn’t embarrass himself as much as he did back then… yikes).

 

He doesn’t even realise Renjun’s stopped dragging him around until he (none too gently) runs into his back. The back of the surprisingly-large venue is much quieter and much brighter, and Mark carefully steps over the raised step in the threshold of the doorway. The room isn’t necessarily small, but it wasn’t that large either; there were a few worn-in leather couches, a table, some chairs, and the walls were also covered in posters upon posters and hanging string lights. Jeno and Jaemin are lounging together on one of the couches and Jisung is perched on the table, focused on his phone, but Mark doesn’t see Haechan anywhere (which honestly, is a little bit relieving. If seeing him from _that_ far away was enough for him to make a fool out of himself, then what would happen when Mark finally sees him up close? He’d fucking die, that’s what).

“Hey! You guys did amazing,” Renjun greets brightly, letting go of Mark and Chenle’s wrists in favour of walking over to his two boyfriends. Jaemin’s head snaps up with a cute grin as soon as Renjun speaks, and he’s on his feet and wrapping his arms around Renjun’s waist in a matter of seconds.

“‘njunnie,” Jaemin coos, obnoxiously smooching the side of Renjun’s face, “You really came.”

“Of course I did,” Renjun scoffs, “first of all, I come to all your shows, and second of all, I promised to introduce you guys to Mark, so…”

At the mention of his name, all eyes snap towards him and Mark is promptly reminded that, oh yeah, he’s here to _finally_ meet the boys who stole his best friend’s heart (... _and_ their bandmates). Right. Great. This is _fine_. All he has to do is introduce himself without making himself look like a complete fool - _easy_ stuff.

Renjun, with an arm wrapped around Jaemin’s waist, sends Mark a sunny smile; “Guys, this is my roommate, Mark. Mark-hyung, this is Jaemin,” he hipchecks the brunet, “that’s Jeno,” he nods towards his other boyfriend, “and _that’s_ Jisung,” lastyly, he nods over towards where Jisung had relocated, sitting in one of the table’s chairs with Chenle at his side (Mark almost laughs at the sight of Chenle’s bright red ears; “ _not a crush"_ _my ass_ , he thinks). “I don’t know where Haechan is, so-”

“Yah, I’m right here!”

 

That voice. _That voice_. Smooth and light and _pretty_ and…

Right behind him.

 _Oh no,_  there goes his heart. Mark is 90% sure his panic must show on his face because both Renjun _and_ Jaemin start snickering under their breath. _Those assholes,_ he thinks, trying to work up the courage to turn around; when he literally has a heart attack or _something_ they won’t be laughing _then,_ now will they?

(As much as he doesn’t like to admit it, Mark knows he’s what  the internet calls a “disaster bisexual”, aka… a big bisexual _mess_. He’s much too aware of it, thank you very much.)

“You must be the infamous _Mark-hyung_.” There it is, _that_ voice again; Mark right about crumbles to the floor at the way Haechan say’s his name (this is just cruel now). “Renjun talks a lot about you.”

 

Hesitantly, he turns on his heels, and immediately wants to hide under a rock. Haechan is _so much prettier_ up close, _holy shit_ , Mark’s heart feels right about ready to _literally_ fall out of his ass this time.. Up close, and not washed out by the coloured lights, Haechan’s apricot hair is much brighter, his sweaty bangs are pinned back away from his forehead (the way it sticks up on the top of his head is unfairly cute), and Mark can see the smudged corners of his eyeliner and _holy sweet jesus_ , does it look ungodly pretty against his skin.

He’s a little shorter than Mark, maybe around Renjun’s height, but he’s not that broad and he looks adorably small in the big hoodie hanging off of him. It seems his shirt is the only thing he’s changed, because he’s still wearing the choker and the same stupid jeans… Mark has to bite his tongue to stop himself from saying something really gay when he catches sight of the fishnets showing through the (excessive amount of) rips in his jeans. _What the fuck_ , he silently curses the universe, _how can one boy be this attractive_ ? _This isn’t fair!_

(Mark takes back everything he’s said; Haechan is _more_ than pretty, he’s downright beautiful and Mark _definitely_ has more than an appreciation.)

 

“Uhh… I’m Donghyuck,” Mark snaps out of his (chaotically gay) thoughts when a hand waves in front of his face, feeling his cheeks flush bright red.

“M-Mark,” he stutters, embarrassed at having been caught practically ogling the other boy. Why couldn’t Renjun have just introduced Mark to his boyfriends over like, a coffee or something? He could have been at home, curled nicely and comfortably under his blanket and watching netflix, but _no,_ he’s here making a fool out of himself in front of Donghyuck _\- wait_ … “Donghyuck? I thought your name was Haechan?”

“No, _Haechan_ is my stage name, my real name’s Donghyuck.” Haechan- no, _Donghyuck_ , laughs cheekily, his face brightening and his heart-shaped lips stretching with a grin (Mark would be a filthy liar if he said he didn’t just completely fall for him in that moment, wow). He reaches out and taps one of Mark’s warm cheeks playfully, leaning in close enough for Mark to see the beauty marks on his cheeks, “You’re cuter than I thought, Mark Lee.”

Donghyuck leans back quickly, giggling lightly at the no-doubt stupid look on Mark’s face and skirting around him to launch himself at Jeno (he only knows because a second later, Mark hears Jeno’s pained yelp). He’s… frozen, but his heart is beating like a jackrabbit in his chest.

“You okay there?” Renjun asks in amusement, sliding up beside him. Mark, face beet red and palms dripping nervous sweat, gives him a glare he _hopes_ conveys his words; _what do you think?_ Renjun’s sly, sly smirk widens and it’s only then that Mark realises he’s been set up. Renjun defintely knew this would happen - _I can’t believe this,_ Mark thinks, gaping at Renjun’s retreating form, _betrayed by my own friends._


End file.
